FAQ

Engagement with Law Enforcement

This looks like an organization where Black boys take pictures with police and act like everything is ok?

This is a common misconception about Word is Bond. The core of our organization is storytelling. Our organization focuses on real people with real stories. Word is Bond is not an organization that tries to get young Black men to like police officers or change their minds on how they feel about law enforcement. We do not try to manage the stories our young men tell. We empower young Black men to speak their truths and tell their stories. The dialogues and engagements we host are raw, real, and challenging.

From the outside looking in, our organization draws a lot of questions. These are valid questions that should be asked of any organization in engaging in our kind of work. We recognize that in today’s current climate, engaging youth and police will draw scrutiny and questions. We expect and welcome these questions. We strive to create authentic spaces of dialogue, upholds the value of our youth participants, and recognizes the realities of racism and white supremacy. This is not an organization where everyone comes together to feel good; we come together to challenge each other for the better and work towards true racial justice and equity.

How does your program engage young Black men and law enforcement?

We start with framing and understanding. We recognize modern policing in the United States is rooted in slave patrols. We recognize persistent systemic racism since the founding of our country which is rooted in white supremacy.

The fear young Black men feel towards police is not misplaced or irrational. It is based on hundreds of years of lived-experience of violence and terror from law enforcement and vigilante groups. This fear will only subside when white supremacy is ended, systemic racism is dismantled, and community safety dictated individual communities.

Word is Bond works on the latter of these three steps, defining community safety by communities. We create programs and spaces for young Black men to share their stories and experiences and envision what community safety looks like to them. We invite law enforcement officers to listen in on these conversations and participate in guided discussions that focus on story sharing, active listening, and empathy.

Why host dialogue between youth and police, it won’t change systemic racism?

Word is Bond is committed to the principles of nonviolence. We believe everyone has a story to share. The stories of young Black men often go untold. We believe that by creating spaces for dialogue and active listening, we can make impacts on an individual level that leads to collective action to impact systems. We work towards both systemic change and interpersonal dialogue that is the framework of healthy communities.

Too often in our current climate, few people are listening. The young men in our program have the courage to share their truth and experiences with law enforcement. Officers have an opportunity to listen and change their practices. Both groups leave the program with a better understanding of “the other side” and can take the experiences and make a change in their community.

We structure our dialogues so that they center on the experiences of our youth participants, where law enforcement primarily listens but also have space to share during structured sessions. Dialogues are moderated by Black trained facilitators with expertise in race-based discussions.

Does Word is Bond teach respectability politics?

Respectability politics is the idea that if you speak respectfully to officers and do what they say, officers won’t stop, search, arrest or use force against you. This is categorically false for Black people. Many Black people have complied with officers and been arrested, had force used against them, and too often, lost their lives.

Word is Bond does not teach respectability politics to our young men. In our Know Your Rights trainings, we teach youth their rights in police encounters and things they can do to de-escalate situations. We remind them, however, that these steps do not guarantee their safety. We teach our participants that they should be respected no matter how they are dressed, where they are from, and that their lives should be valued in any situation with law enforcement. We know, however, this is not the case in our world. Black bodies are policed differently in our country and continue to face systemic racism. We seek to create programming that helps law enforcement understand this reality and change their practices and institutional culture. See our know your rights training videos in our digital archive.

Is Word is Bond funded by local law enforcement agencies?

Word is Bond is not funded by any local law enforcement agencies. Generous individual officers have made donations to our organization but there is no funding line item within our organization budget from law enforcement agencies.

What is Word is Bond’s position on defunding and or abolishing the police?

Word is Bond supports the views of the youth in our program regarding community safety and works to uplift and amplify their voices. For as many youth we have in our program, we have that many views. These views are valid and must be heard. We do not believe it is our place as an organization to say what stance Black communities should take and instead focus our resources and energy empowering Black leadership within Portland and beyond.

Word is Bond is committed to being an anti-racist organization and stands against systemic racism and white supremacy which has led to the over-policing and incarceration of Black people and Black men in particular.

How are the officers selected for Word is Bond?

Word is Bond currently has law enforcement participation primarily in the Rising Leaders Internship Program (learn more here). We reach out to local law enforcement agencies in the Spring and invite them to participate in the internship. We prefer white officers who work in roles with high youth contact. Agencies that decide to participate then select an officer(s) that they feel are the best fit for the program.

Word is Bond screens officers before they officially begin the program and hosts a law enforcement orientation to help support officer success throughout the summer.

What agencies participate in Word is Bond?

As of Fall 2020, Word is Bond has six partnering law enforcement agencies. Portland Police Bureau, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Lake Oswego Police Department, Hillsboro Police Department, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Young Adult Participation

What age groups does Word is Bond serve?

Word is Bond is open to young Black men ages 16-21 in the Portland metro area. Having had conversations over the years, the feedback has been consistent that our participants want to be referred to as young adults rather than kids.

How are participants recruited and chosen for the Word is Bond programs?

Participants hear about Word is Bond through a variety of sources. Most often participants hear about our organization from a friend or see our work on social media. Others are referred to us by teachers, mentors, or parents.

Who are the young adults who participate in Word is Bond?

The young adult cohorts of Word is Bond demonstrate the diversity within the Black community. We have young men from all backgrounds and ways of life; from public, private, and alternative schools, two-parent households, one parent, college-bound students, and those unsure of what they want to do with their future. Some participants have had negative interactions with law enforcement and others who have had none at all. Word is Bond prides itself on being an organization for young Black men from all over the Portland metro area to come together, learn, and grow.

What programs does Word is Bond have for young Black men?

Word is Bond currently has two programs: Rising Leaders, our paid summer internship, and Word Up, our school year leadership program. Learn more here.

About Word is Bond

When was Word is Bond founded?

Word is Bond began in the summer of 2017 with our first Rising Leaders summer internship.

Are there other Word is Bond chapters in different cities?

Currently, Word is Bond only operates in Portland, OR. Our long-term vision is to have additional chapters in cities across the United States.

How many young Black men have you directly served through the summer internship program?

Word is Bond has served over 40 youth in four summers of our Rising Leaders internship program. Through Word Up, our school year program, we have reached over 1000 youth and young adults in the Portland metro area through Know Your Rights trainings, movie outings, community events, and mentor nights.

How many officers have participated in Word is Bond?

Over 20 officers have participated in our summer internship program, Rising Leaders. Through implicit bias training and other engagements, Word is Bond has engaged over 600 officers in organization activities.

What other programming does Word is Bond offer in addition to dialogue with law enforcement?

Word is Bond offers robust programming for young Black men to help with their social and emotional development and cultural grounding. This includes teaching local and international Black history, Know Your Rights training, a law week course (part of Rising Leaders), Black Women’s Luncheon and discussion, public speaking training, professional development and career discussion days, financial literacy, 1:1, and group mentoring and much more.